by EJ Fisch
If you only knew the half of it, Aroska thought. “Right – I’d rather not be flayed alive, thanks.” He turned to leave.
“Okay, okay.” Saun caught his arm and pulled him back. “Seriously, we love having you downstairs working on Solaris, but you’ve been given a chance to get your old life back. How many times have you told me you wanted to go back to ops if you had the opportunity? Why would you let one person ruin it for you?”
Because that one person has single handedly destroyed my life.
Saun put her arm around his torso and began to walk him toward the elevator. “When we first met, you showed more drive and focus than any agent I’d ever seen. Why? You were passionate about your teammates, and you wanted closure. You’re passionate about getting back into field ops aren’t you? Let me see that same drive and focus now. What’s holding you back?”
“Nothing,” Aroska replied quickly. It was more or less a lie – while Ziva presented a huge obstacle in his life, nothing should have affected his ability to work hard and do his job.
They reached the elevator and Saun pressed the button for him. “Good. Now get up there and show her what you’re made of. Maybe she just wants to know if you can handle the pressure. Maybe she’s testing you.”
Hadn’t Adin said those exact words? “Thank you,” Aroska said, giving her a quick peck on the forehead before slipping through the closing doors. “You’re amazing.”
“I try,” she said with a wink.
Aroska had originally planned on using the elevator ride to ponder the situation with Jayden and the Tantalis, but after the conversation with Saun, his thoughts were so jumbled that he arrived at the squad floor before he’d even had a chance to process them. He knew she was only trying to help, and he was grateful for her support, but there was nothing she could say that would change what Ziva had done to Soren. Sighing, he swiped his temporary special ops access key over the scanner, granting himself permission to even leave the elevator car, and walked out onto the floor.
He caught sight of Ziva in seconds – after merely a day, he could pick her black and red-streaked hair out of any crowd. She stood across the vast work floor on the stairwell, looking out a massive window similar to the one in the director’s office. Last he knew she’d been on her way to talk to Emeri, most likely to discuss the security breach and Jayden’s safety. That conversation was obviously over already, and he wondered what the verdict had been.
Aroska downed the rest of his juice and swept his gaze over the rest of the squad floor. Jayden sat with Skeet and Zinni in the team’s bullpen, looking anxious as the two of them worked at their computers. Aroska shifted his attention back to Ziva, wondering why she wasn’t with them. She hadn’t budged from where she stood; maybe she was waiting for him to return.
Show her what you’re made of. Maybe she’s testing you.
Aroska set the empty glass down on a nearby desk and veered toward the stairwell rather than the bullpen. To hell with it, he thought. Now was as good a time as any to say what was on his mind. He still wasn’t entirely sure what that was, but he was confident that the adrenaline and sheer frustration would be enough to carry him through. If all else failed, he could always just ask what the plan was regarding Jayden’s protection.
The stairs had seemed kilometers away, but he suddenly looked down and found himself standing on the first step. Ziva was on the landing where the stairs made a hundred eighty degree turn, still looking out the window with her back to him.
Aroska took a deep breath and quickly continued up the remaining steps, moving up quietly beside her. The view out the massive window was spectacular, very similar to the one from Emeri’s office. He could see most of the Noro skyline, and ships of all shapes and sizes moved to and fro above the busy streets far below. He stared out for a moment too, wondering what Ziva was looking at, but when he looked at her he realized her eyes were closed.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked gently, hoping to start out on a good note.
“Nothing,” she replied roughly. Her eyes remained shut.
“Ziva, we need to talk.”
“Do you want to know why, Tarbic?” she went on, almost as if he hadn’t spoken. “Do you want to know why I’m thinking about nothing? It’s because nothing is what we have. Do you know why we have nothing? It’s because you eliminated our only source before he could be questioned.”
Aroska saw that coming from a light-year away. “I told you, I was protecting our witness. That guy was about to kill Jayden.”
Ziva crossed her arms and finally turned to face him. “Right. How am I supposed to know that you didn’t kill him to prevent him from being questioned? Maybe you’re the inside man who provided him with the access key. After all, you’re the Solaris expert.”
Aroska was appalled that she would dare make such a childish accusation. “You think I’m the inside man?” he exclaimed. “You’re the one who was gone for so long just before the incident.”
Ziva scoffed. “Just like I supposedly killed Tate and Jole. Pulling the emergency alarm isn’t exactly my style, and in case you haven’t noticed, I prefer something more subtle than blowing up buildings.”
That was it. Without thinking – or caring – about how she might react, Aroska seized Ziva by the shoulders and slammed her as hard as he could against the window, pinning her there. “Enough!” he growled, attracting the attention of those working nearby. “Enough. The reason we have nothing is because you treat me like sheyss and won’t let me do my job.”
The look on Ziva’s face had expressed genuine shock and pain, but she recovered quickly. She caught his arm, digging her thumb into the pressure point above his elbow, then spun him around, pinning him against the glass in return. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.” She hesitated a moment. “You know, I honestly thought you knew what you were doing, but this? This could get you killed.”
She turned to walk away but Aroska grabbed her by the forearm and pulled her in close, their faces centimeters apart. “You want results?” he hissed, certain he had her attention. “Then let me get some. I have tried to be civil with you for the mission’s sake, but if you won’t make any effort to let me in, then I’ll play dirty too. That’s when we’re going to accomplish nothing. You’re good, I’ll give you that. But I’m here for a reason too and you need to stop ignoring that. Are we clear?”
Ziva didn’t reply, didn’t move, and the expression on her face didn’t change, but Aroska could feel the muscles in her forearm relax. She watched him for another several seconds as if waiting to see if he was finished, then she yanked her arm free and hurried down the stairs. “We’re leaving,” she barked toward the bullpen.
More satisfied than he’d expected to be, Aroska turned around to find everyone on the squad floor staring in his direction, stunned. Nobody spoke; they only gawked and occasionally shot surprised looks at each other. As soon as Aroska made a move to walk away, everyone immediately went back to their work, avoiding eye contact as he went to join up with the team. Skeet hung back while Zinni escorted Jayden to the elevator, slipping his arm around Aroska’s shoulder as he came by.
“You trying to get yourself killed?” he chuckled.
“It needed to be done,” Aroska replied, shrugging his arm away.
Skeet gave him some space and continued walking alongside him. “True, but do you really think that was the smartest way to do it?”
“Maybe not, Skeet!” Aroska retorted. “But it was effective.”
This time Skeet backed off significantly. “You think you two can tolerate each other until we get all of this figured out?” he asked.
Aroska sighed and took one last look back at the stairs. “We’ll see.”
-15-
Payvan residence
Noro, Haphez
Whatever was cooking in the kitchen smelled incredible. Ziva’s stomach rumbled as she watched Skeet and Aroska attempt to teach Jayden an old Haphezian card game. He seemed to be catching on, bu
t his mind was obviously elsewhere. It was clear that he was tired as well. Upon leaving HSP in three armored cars, they’d split up and switched places throughout the city to ensure that they weren’t being followed. The trip to her house overlooking the Tranyi River had taken nearly two hours, a journey that would have normally taken twenty minutes. It had been a long day for everyone.
They’d settled Jayden into the guest room and he and Aroska had been introduced to Marshay Rubin and Ryon Kittner. The hefty housekeeper had been delighted to have company, regardless of the circumstances, and she’d immediately gone to prepare the evening meal, fussing over everyone like a mother bird taking care of her nest. Ryon had respectfully volunteered his services as well. Ziva was glad to have him. He had served under her father in the military before losing most of his left leg and being discharged at a young age. He currently acted as Ziva’s personal trainer and was in charge of her house while she was away. Both he and Marshay lived on-site, and she liked to think of them as an aunt and uncle despite the fact that they were nowhere near related. They made a better family than any of her blood relatives ever had.
“No need to be so hard on him,” Ryon said quietly, coming up beside her in the doorway of Jayden’s room. He watched Aroska for a moment and then turned toward her like a father waiting for an explanation from his child. “Skeet tells me he gave you a run for your money today.”
Ziva shook her head, brows knit together. “I’d say it was more like a wake-up call,” she replied. She would have preferred that Ryon not get involved in this business, but understood that he was only trying to help. They were about the same height so they saw eye-to-eye. Ryon’s features were worn and battle-scarred, despite the fact that he really wasn’t that old, but his dark green eyes were gentle and kind. His prosthetic foot gave him a slight limp, but he got around fine and was still one of the most capable people Ziva knew. He watched her patiently as he always did.
“Do you need to work it out?” he asked. “When we fight—”
“—the enemy wins,” Ziva finished, reciting the phrase that Ryon was constantly repeating. She’d never told him that she borrowed it on occasion. “I know, I know.”
“Work it out,” Ryon said firmly. “Now come on. Smells like Marshay’s about ready.” He gave her a solid pat on the back and wandered out into the kitchen.
“Dinner!” the housekeeper called seconds later.
Skeet took up the cards and put them away. “Come on,” he said to Jayden and Aroska. “If there’s anything that can make you feel better after a day like this, it’s Marshay’s cooking.”
Ziva stepped aside to let Skeet and Jayden out but put her arm across the doorway to block Aroska’s exit. “You’ve really got a pair, Tarbic,” she said once the others were out of earshot. “I was beginning to wonder.”
He crossed his arms and leaned against the opposite side of the doorframe. “I’m glad you noticed.”
“You know, I’d just come back from having the same conversation with the director – although he didn’t try to put me through a window.”
This brought a hint of a smile. “And whose argument did you find more convincing?”
“What you did took guts,” Ziva replied. “You may have what it takes after all.”
“So you’re saying that if I use your body as a battering ram, I’m not an incompetent fool?”
Ziva smirked. “That’s not exactly what I had in mind. What I am saying is you don’t seem to have a problem with telling it like it is, and I think I like that. The former leader of Alpha field ops shouldn’t be running around with his tail between his legs. However, if you touch me or my team again, I’ll skin you alive and mount your hide on my wall over there. Understand?”
Aroska’s stance didn’t change, but something told Ziva that he was very relieved by the compliments. Perfect. “Does this mean you’re going to listen to me now?” he asked bluntly.
“Maybe,” Ziva replied, “but here’s the thing. If there’s going to be any form of ‘mutual’ respect, it’s got to go both ways. You’ve got to get over Soren and listen to me too. Agreed?”
For a moment, she wondered if he’d even taken that thought into consideration. However, after a brief hesitation, he extended his hand and nodded. “Ziva.”
She shook firmly. “Aroska.” With that out of the way, she turned and led him into the kitchen where the others were already seated and helping themselves to the various dishes set out on the table. There was an enormous amount of food for such a small group, but Ziva was hungry and she guessed that everyone else was too.
Skeet had already begun eating as Ziva and Aroska took their seats at opposite ends of the table. “Marshay, the warco is amazing, as usual,” he said past the wad in his mouth, his eyes closed in bliss.
“Don’t thank me, dear,” Marshay replied with a smile, her pearly white teeth contrasting greatly with her dark emilan complexion. “Ziva made that the other day. I had to break into the leftovers when I found out that all of you people were coming into my house.”
“In that case, Z,” Skeet said, taking another bite, “it’s delicious.”
“What’s warco?” Jayden asked as he stared suspiciously at the lumpy brown pile someone had spooned onto his plate.
“It’s a stew made from a mollusk that lives down in the river,” Marshay replied as she helped him choose more food. She handed him a small spice container. “Try this on it.”
Ziva was about to comment, but she paused when her ears picked up the slight vibration of someone approaching the house on the walkway outside. A muffled thump beyond the front door halted her train of thought completely. All the Haphezians in the room – everyone but Jayden – immediately turned their attention to the door. The young human had most likely not heard such insignificant sounds, but seemed to recognize the urgency of the situation and cautiously hunkered lower in his chair.
The thump was followed by a bit of scuffling. Ziva, Skeet and Zinni stood up, pistols drawn, and Aroska, who was seated the closest, moved quietly to the door. They listened for another couple of seconds while Ziva positioned herself between Jayden and the unknown. Aroska threw them all a warning glance and punched the controls to open the door.
The girl outside dropped the bundle she was carrying and had her own weapon drawn nearly as fast as Aroska had drawn his.
“Name and rank!” she demanded, fearlessly taking a step forward.
“Lieutenant Tarbic, stand down!” Ziva ordered, rushing forward to push Aroska’s arm away. “Jada, he’s okay. At ease.”
Jada Jaroon watched Aroska for a few more uneasy seconds and then holstered her gun and gathered up the things she’d been carrying. She immediately humbled herself and offered a free hand. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lieutenant,” she said.
“My apologies,” Aroska replied warily, glancing at Ziva as he returned her handshake.
Marshay hurried over to relieve Jada of her load. “You gave us a bit of a scare, my dear.”
The girl smiled sheepishly. “I tripped on the steps and dropped the clothes,” she explained. “Not everyone sees as well as you guys do in the dark.” She turned to Jayden, who had risen from his chair upon realizing things were under control. “I thought you could use something clean to wear, sir. But as you might imagine, it’s a little hard to find things that fit someone your size around here.”
“So much for a formal introduction,” Ziva said. “Jada Jaroon, meet Lieutenant Aroska Tarbic and Jayden Saiffe of Tantal. Tarbic has come on as a fourth member of the team and, well, you already know some of Jayden’s story. Thanks for bringing the clothes.”
“’Name and rank’?” Aroska asked, amused.
Ziva slipped her arm around Jada’s shoulders, towering over her. “I’ve always told her that if anyone she doesn’t know ever shows up here, they’re probably going to be either HSP or military and she should verify. If they can’t answer and can’t give an alternative explanation, she can shoot them in the head.” She
looked down at her adoptive sister. “Stay for dinner?”
“Don’t doubt it,” the girl answered.
-16-
Payvan residence
Noro, Haphez
Jada Jaroon was definitely human; after two weeks on the planet, it seemed almost foreign to see someone without colored eyes and those strange, dotted facial tattoos. Jayden watched her interact with the others and wondered how in the world she had fallen in with this group. Haphezians and humans had always been somewhat at odds, the main reason it was taking so long for Tantal to successfully form an alliance with them. Haphezians considered themselves a dominant species, and while they were, they usually had a rather haughty attitude when it came to interacting with the galaxy’s other civilizations. In fact, Jayden wasn’t entirely sure why they were helping him now.
Jada was pretty, with long brown hair that trailed down her back in the form of a braid. She was only seventeen, maybe eighteen years old, but she’d obviously figured out how to fit in here on Haphez. Jayden found it interesting how Ziva’s personality had changed upon her arrival. She’d been reclusive and uptight throughout the day, but around Jada she was relaxed and welcoming. It made him feel much more comfortable.
“Don’t let them forget to feed you,” Jada was saying. Jayden realized she was addressing him. “They tend to forget when they only have to eat every other day. It took me awhile to get used to it.”
“Ah,” Jayden chuckled. No wonder there was so much food. He swallowed a bite of the warco stew, unable to get around its slimy texture. He’d been content to eat the provisions the Tantalis had brought from home throughout the course of his visit; it didn’t take much of the rich, highly caloric Haphezian food to give him a stomach ache. It was no wonder they only ate every two days – the things they did eat could easily fuel them for that long, and having two stomachs no doubt helped.
Obviously Jada had managed to adapt to this strange culture. He was about to go ahead and ask how the young woman was related to Ziva, but Aroska beat him to it.